PURPOSE: To efficiently and surely produce a spherical particle by turning a starting material to fine powder having a specified diameter, forming its specified quantity to a spherical particle while passing a specified high temp. zone and rapidly solidifying so as to form a fine particle having a specified diameter and a specified oxygen content.

CONSTITUTION: A starting material is size-reduced by fluid energy milling to produce a finer powder of about <20 μm diameter. This powder is transferred with a carrier gas, passing a high temp. zone about 5500-17000°C created by plasma jet and is melted about 50 wt.%. By this process, a molten part is turned to a finer spherical particle. This high temp. material is rapidly resolidified to produce a finer spherical particle of about <20 μm diameter. Its oxygen content is set to about <8%, the carbon content does not exceed that of the starting material. A material may be metal, alloy, ceramic, etc. By this method, the spherical particle is efficiently and surely produced.